Club makes huge change to football matches after player’s horror injury

Current FA guidelines state all shin pads must be ‘provide reasonable protection’ and be ‘covered entirely by the socks’, but don’t specify a minimum requirement for size

A football club has banned tiny shin pads worn by Premier League aces such as Jack Grealish after a horror injury to a player. Ilfracombe Town forward Riley Malin suffered a double-leg break in a match during a 50-50 challenge with the opposition keeper.

Saturday’s fixture against Bridport was abandoned after he broke his fibula and tibia while wearing “micro” shin pads, which are smaller and less bulky than traditional ones. The sizes of mini shin pads vary, but some can be small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.

His club has now implemented an immediate and non-negotiable ban on the use of the small shin pads across all age groups and squads, from youth teams through to senior teams.

After the match, Ilfracombe chairman Nick Jupp said: “Today our club experienced one of the toughest moments we’ve faced in recent seasons.

“It was an incident no one ever wants to witness on a football pitch, and our thoughts are firmly with Riley and his family tonight. There is no question that Riley will miss the remainder of the season, but the entire club stands firmly behind him as he begins his recovery journey.

“We wish him strength, healing, and all the very best in the weeks and months ahead. There is no blame on Riley at all for wearing micro shin pads, but I think if he had more coverage on the shin area with bigger shin pads, the injury could have been less than it was.

“I think clubs need to look closely at player welfare and safety regarding these micro shin pads. The support we’ve had on social media so far is unbelievable. A lot of grassroots clubs in the South West have banned them since we put out a statement on Sunday.”

While shin guards are mandatory under the laws of the game, current FA guidelines state they must be “provide reasonable protection” and be “covered entirely by the socks”, but don’t specify a minimum requirement for size.

And the International Football Association Board (IFAB) said players – and parents or guardians of youth players – must take responsibility for their own safety on the pitch.

Last year, junior club Whitley Bay FC in Tyneside told parents it would not accept their players wearing ‘mini shin pads’ for matches because they do not offer ‘sufficient protection’.

The club said many youngsters received the shin pads, which measure eight by five centimetres and were branded as the world’s smallest’, as Christmas presents.

Concerns were raised about player safety by coaches who said they have seen a trend of shin pads becoming much smaller in recent seasons.

Everton star Grealish is famed for wearing child-sized shin pads, which he puts down to a superstition about wearing low socks he formed as youngster. But other stars such as Harry Maguire and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have also been known to wear small shin pads.

Leeds United striker Calvert-Lewin’s shin pads were so small on England duty that was mocked online for ‘shoving Nokia 3210s down his socks’.

A JustGiving page set up to help Riley’s recovery had raised £600 of a £1,000 target at the time of writing. Click here to donate.

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